


look around you ( all the signs scream ' do not touch ' )

by minervadobbs



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Not Canon Compliant, Past Abuse, Past Character Death, that no one asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-01 16:40:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20261221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minervadobbs/pseuds/minervadobbs
Summary: After an assassination attempt on CEO Sansa Stark's life, her siblings worried about her, especially with her past, give her an ultimatum: get a bodyguard or they'll never take their eyes off of her again. Luckily, the bodyguard that Brienne sends over is not only a familiar face, but a breath of fresh air amongst the conniving businesspeople that she's constantly surrounded by. They find that they're both just as lonely as the other, and soon can't help but see each other in a new light.





	look around you ( all the signs scream ' do not touch ' )

_ CNN: BREAKING NEWS. _

_ Six years after the assassination of Eddard Stark, Vice President to then President Robert Baratheon, his wife CEO of Stark Corp Catelyn Stark and his eldest son Senator Robb Stark of New York the Stark Family has once again been targeted. Sansa Stark, Eddard’s eldest daughter and CEO of Stark Corp, was treated and released from Winterfell General for a fractured wrist after shots were fired at a rally for the betterment of women’s healthcare in the north this morning. No one else was hurt. Ms. Stark has been outspoken about the healthcare the women are forced to utilize, despite promises from Senator Baelish to work with privatized hospitals in the area to make women’s healthcare more affordable in the North. Before he died Eddard was also an advocate for the north where he had been born and raised. _

_ Before she took over the role of CEO of Stark Corp she was linked to Joffrey Baratheon, President Baratheon’s son, and known for being the paparazzi’s favorite party girl until she accused the President's son of -- _

Arya lets out a sound of disgust as she throws the remote down on the couch after she shuts the tv off. “I dunno why they always have to mention Joffrey, that was years ago! You’re a CEO now for Gods’ sake, and a damn good one!” She throws her arms up before she quickly hugs herself tightly across the chest, eyes narrowed at nothing in particular while she bites her fingernail. Sansa closes her eyes, wondering if she could make it upstairs before Arya, who’s given her strict instructions not to move from the couch and shoved a pillow under her splinted wrist on the armrest, could catch her. She rubs her temple with the fingers of her unharmed hand.

“Arya. Please sit down. You’re pacing is driving me crazy.”

“I can’t sit down, Sansa. Have you forgotten that someone tried to kill you a few hours ago? When I find out who did this I -- “ Arya’s brow furrows as her fingers curve together until Sansa is worried she might actually think she already has someone’s neck between her fingers. She loves her sister, she truly does.

“You’re not going to do anything. The police are investigating, and you’re leaving tomorrow.” Sansa watches Arya stop, her thumbnail between her teeth, and turn towards her. 

“You’re bonkers if you think that Gendry and I are leaving the country and you here by yourself.” 

“Arya, what are you going to do? The longest we’ve gone without fighting is a month and that’s because you broke your leg and needed help showering. You and Gendry are going on your trip tomorrow, you’ll be safe on a boat for six months while they find out who tried to hurt me. I’ve already called Brienne, and she’s sending a bodyguard who will be with me 24/7. Besides, I’m not alone, Bran and Rickon are here for a few more weeks before they’re back to school.” Arya opens her mouth to argue, she can always tell when Arya’s about to argue, before Sansa cuts her off. “And yes, the boarding school has been made aware of the situation they will both have bodyguards and Hodor with them at all times.” There had been a time, what feels like a lifetime ago, when it wouldn’t have been up to Sansa to make sure that before anything else her siblings were taken care of -- were happy and healthy and not afraid of monsters in the dark. Monsters that hid in the shadows like cowards when they tried to take her life, as they had her father and her mother and Robb. The second that they had gotten the call, though, that their entire lives were shattering around them, Sansa’s focus had shifted solely to her siblings. After everything she had put them through, even before the death of their parents, they deserved someone to take care of them. Someone to take care of them as Robb would have if it had just been their parents ripped away from them.

“What if they leave and they still haven’t found out who did this?” Arya finally stops pacing the length of the living room and sits down next to Sansa, an uncharacteristic worry in her eyes that Sansa almost can’t bear. She wants nothing more than for Arya to stay. To lock the five of them up at Winterfell and never let them leave again, as long as she knows they are safe. But that would be cowardly. Robb would never have made them give up their lives because _ he _ was scared. Robb would have done anything to keep them safe, even if that meant sending them away. “The lone wolf dies -- “ 

“But the pack survives.” She finishes, her fingers finding Arya’s at her knee and squeezing them tightly. “It doesn’t matter where we are, Arya, the pack doesn’t weaken because of distance. I can’t lose you. I need to know that you are safe. That Jon and Bran and Rickon are safe, even if that means you are far away from here.”

“I can’t lose you either, Sansa. Not for the company, not for this cause, not for anything.”

“I’ll be fine. Jon’s said that Brienne is sending over the best man she has for me. One that she trained personally.” Arya doesn’t move, her eyes searching Sansa’s for … something that Sansa can’t quite put her finger on before she looks away, her fingers still intertwined with Sansa’s.

“Well, I guess that’s a relief. Brienne would probably ritually slaughter herself before she let anyone subpar in our house to protect you.” Brienne Tarth had been hired by their mother just before she’d died, and just after the incident with Joffrey, to protect Sansa and Arya as they finished school. To absolutely no one’s surprise, she’d stayed long after they’d finished school, staying with Bran, Rickon, and their nanny while Sansa started university. In the midst of becoming an honorary member of what was left of the Stark clan, she’d started her own security company and the Stark’s had been her biggest supporters since. As if the Lannister family hadn’t had enough reason to hate their family, Tarth Security was quickly encroaching on Golden Lion Securities’ business, and the endorsement for Brienne from Sansa hadn’t helped.

“I wouldn’t say ritually slaughter, Arya.” She says, hiding a smile. “She’s my best friend, she’s not beholden to me. Now, can I go take a bath? I’d like to wash this day off of me and I’m sure poor Gilly is freaking out. I told her I’d call her once I got out of the hospital.” Arya releases her fingers, and Sansa presses a kiss to her cheek before she stands. “Figure out what you and the boys want for dinner and we’ll order takeaway. It’s your last dinner at home for a while so make sure it’s good.” 

“Sansa?” Arya calls to her just before she starts up the stairs, a sense of urgency in her voice that forces Sansa to turn around to face her sister. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too, Arya.” 

Sansa barely listens to Gilly after assuring her she was fine as she goes from frantic about the shooting to frantically rescheduling the trip back to the city with the boys to accommodating the bodyguard that will be waiting for them to booking Jon’s flight home. By the time she hangs up and orders the four Starks and Gendry dinner, the sun has completely disappeared behind the mountains that surround their childhood home and Sansa is sinking into the huge tub that only the master suite comes equipped with. Her entire left side sore from being tackled to the ground by a rather built Winterfell PD officer after the first shot had rung out, and she lets out a soft hiss as the scalding water swirls around her body. Resting her head on the pillow at the back of the tub, her eyes close as she soaks the pain away, resting her cast over the side. 

_She’s going through her speech the audience is engaged and there is scattered applause as she nears the end. Her eyes find Arya and Gendry and Bran and Rickon in the crowd and she remembers that she’s doing this, like everything, for them. Winterfell would be theirs one day, wouldn’t it? If she lets it fall apart, all of the work their father had done to keep Winterfell viable will have been for nothing. A small shimmer passes over her eyes quickly and her head jerks up from the faces of her family. She thinks she sees someone in the crowd she knows someone that sends chills up and down her spine. When she scans the crowd he’s gone, but the first bullet whizzes by. The crowd is screaming, running en masse toward the entrances. She can’t do anything but focus on Gendry, grabbing Arya and Rickon, Hodor is covering Bran with his entire body. She doesn’t even have time to take a step towards them when the Winterfell PD Officer slams into her, taking her to the ground with him as the second shot rings out. When she looks up, the officer is grabbing her roughly by the arm pulling her up. His grip tightens as he drags her off the stage, and she notices blonde hair poking out from under his hat. Sansa pulls at his grip, her voice stuck in her throat, the wind still knocked out of her. The harder she pulls, the tighter he holds until she digs her nails into his wrist and Joffrey’s mean sneer greets her as she does. His fist connects with her cheek, not for the first time, and her world goes black._

She jolts awake on a scream, and Arya who had been quietly knocking before, starts pounding on the door. “Sansa? Sansa are you ok?”  
“Yeah! Yeah, I’ll be right out!” She yells back, eyes wide as she grips the side of the tub as if it could disappear in the next few moments and her dream will have become real. 

“Are you sure?” It’s Rickon’s small voice that comes through the door next and guilt washes over her. She’s scared him enough in the last day.  
“Yes! Is the food here?”

“Yes!” 

“Great, I’ll be down in a minute, guys. I promise.” Her breathing slows, finally, as the footsteps of her siblings fade away and she slumps back against the tub. The water is lukewarm as she washes off, dirt and blood still falling off of her as she does. Joffrey hasn’t been the villain in her nightmares in years, and she hates that even dead he still has this power over her. She sniffles, pulling her out of the onslaught of thoughts about Joffrey that have taken up residence where they’re not welcome and pulls herself out of the tepid water, wrapping herself in a big towel as she steps out. She dresses quickly, forcing herself to leave a braid out of her hair when she can’t even use her left hand, and makes her way downstairs. What’s left of her family only has a couple of more days together and she’s going to savor whatever she can before they’re split apart, and she’s alone with her thoughts and a very expensive shadow.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thank you for reading! I personally love love love the Sansa/Podrick dynamic in the books and what I came up with in my head for the show but I truly hope you enjoyed it too and I hope that you look forward to more! ( but also please let me know if it's trash lmao ) xoxo - alexys


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